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Kolkata: Cancer invaded Jain woman, on Santhara, passes away

| | Oct 02, 2016, at 06:25 pm
Kolkata, Oct 2 (IBNS): The 83-year-old Jain woman of Kolkata, who adopted Santhara and had started fasting till death, died on Saturday, her family members confirmed on Sunday.

As she could not bear the pain of cancer anymore, the woman from Jain community- Sohini Devi Dugar- reportedly had overtaken Santhara and stopped having food and water until her death since 7:15 pm. on Sept 20.

Santhara or Sallekhana or Samadhi-marana or Sanyasana-marana is the Jain practice of facing death voluntarily, by fasting unto death, at the end of one's life.

Cancer in a lung of Sohini Devi was detected last year and she was released from a hospital on Sept 20, reports said.

Her family members supported the decision of the 83-year-old.

Earlier on Aug 10 in 2015, the Rajasthan High Court banned the Jain ritual Santhara, comparing it to an act of suicide, and made it a penal offence under IPC Section 309 (Attempt to suicide).

Later in September last year, a division bench of the Supreme Court, led by the then Chief Justice H. L. Dattu, restored the Jain practice, by putting a stay on the order of the Rajasthan High Court.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)

Image Courtesy: ABP Ananda.

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